Latos Exits With Injury As Nationals Beat Mets

He struggled with command for the third straight outing as the Washington Nationals beat the Mets 8-1 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series.

The Nationals increased their lead over the Mets to 10 games in the Nationals League East – matching their largest cushion of the season – and reduced their magic number to nine to clinch their third division title in five years. Washington has won eight of its last 11 and is a season-high 28 games above.500.

Baker had some choice words with plate Hunter Wendelstedt late in the game but was not ejected.

Montero was lifted with the Mets trailing, 6-1, and replaced by rookie Gabriel Ynoa.

NY (76-68) is very much in the NL wild-card hunt, and that is one reason manager Terry Collins didn’t have much patience with starting pitcher Rafael Montero, who walked two with the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up six runs overall before he was lifted in the second. The Nationals became the first team to truly make Montero pay for his walks. He worked around a one-out double in the sixth by Murphy with a strikeout and a flyout. Trea Turner also had two hits for Washington.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher A.J. Cole throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Washington. NY pitchers committed six walks.

On the plus side, it allows Baker to try out Reynaldo Lopez out of the bullpen and see what potential he has there.

Latos had a solid first start with the Nationals, but left the game with one out in the fifth inning when he appeared to injure his right leg. But the Nationals grabbed a 2-1 lead in the last of the first as Montero walked Harper and Ramos with the bases loaded to force in runs. Despite the injury last night, the right-hander was able to show off his home run hitting with his fourth career home run and provide some form of consistency at the back of the rotation along with A.J. Montero retired the next two batters but then gave up a double to Daniel Murphy and intentionally walked Harper, setting up a three-run shot for Rendon. Montero allowed two runs in the first and four more in the second after Collins opted not to remove him for a pinch hitter. Get 20% off. Call now! Montero went just 1 2/3 innings and gave up five hits, four walks and six runs while throwing 60 pitches – only 30 for strikes. Zimmerman has been in a slump for almost a month, as was Ramos before he went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs on Monday. Still, the 25-year-old right-hander managed to escape further trouble by striking out Ryan Zimmerman swinging and inducing a flyout from Danny Espinosa. Latos was looked at by athletic trainer Paul Lessard after pitching to Reyes with one out in the fifth. If one of those young starters can flourish out of the bullpen, it gives them an opportunity to make the postseason roster. He limped to the dugout, where he threw his glove in anger.

Latos signed a minor league deal with Washington in June after the Chicago White Sox released him. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that Backman “has made a decision to move on”, after working in New York’s minor league system since 2010. Mets LHP Jerry Blevins pitched in 64 games for the Nationals in 2014 and was traded to the Mets at the end of spring training in 2015. The move paid off on a major league mound on Monday.